At their special meeting July 10, Mason County Commissioners renewed the Declaration of Disaster initially instated by Judge Sheree Hardin on July 4, following the historic flooding event in the Texas Hill Country.
Per local government code, the County Judge may singularly declare a Declaration of Disaster for seven days. County Commissioners may declare a 90 day term, which they did last Thursday. This Declaration includes an Order from the Commissioners Court to provide the County a temporary exemption for hiring individual contractors without going through the usual bidding process, said Judge Hardin.
Commissioners also approved an updated contractor agreement which will allow the County to hire some individual contractors to blade flood damaged roads under the supervision of the Commissioners Court and the Road and Bridge department. The agreement allows for contractors, using their own equipment, to work a maximum of 20 days per 90-day period for the County, at a wage of $175 per hour.
